Integrated circuit (IC) technologies are constantly being improved. Such improvements frequently involve scaling down device geometries to achieve lower fabrication costs, higher device integration density, higher speeds, and better performance. Along with the advantages from geometry size reductions, improvements to the mechanisms to manufacture and produce integrated circuits are being made.
Semiconductor integrated circuits are produced by a plurality of processes in an integrated circuit fabrication facility. These processes, and associated fabrication tools, may include thermal oxidation, diffusion, ion implantation, RTP (rapid thermal processing), CVD (chemical vapor deposition), PVD (physical vapor deposition), epitaxy, etch, and photolithography. During the fabrication stages, products (e.g., semiconductor substrates) are transported within the fabrication facility and fabrication tools. For example, typically, after a processing step, the substrate is removed from a process chamber that performed the processing step and transferred to a carrier where the substrate is temporarily stored until subsequent processing. During transfer, the substrate is exposed to the surrounding environment, including undesired ambients, such as moisture, oxygen, and airborne molecular contamination. Such exposure often requires a cleaning process to remedy effects in the substrate caused by the undesired ambients.
Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method for providing a protective, ambient controlled environment.